Hello Mayor Nash, Council Members, and City Staff,
I write to you as the Safe Routes to School Parent Champion for Laurel
Elementary and Hillview Middle Schools. Our school community is so
appreciative of Coleman Avenue Pilot.
*Unfortunately, many of our families still encounter cars idling or parked
in the bicycle lane on a regular/daily basis. *This forces our young riders
to 1) identify/anticipate the challenge 2) check over their left shoulders
to look for cars coming behind them, 3) signal their intention to merge
around the idling/parked cars into the fast moving traffic, 4) cycle
quickly around the idling/parked car, 5) and then re-merge into the bike
lane.
Though at school we are teaching and reminding students of this important
bicycling skill, it is hard for young cyclists.
*To protect these young riders* *I strongly encourage the installation of
flexible posts or bollards along the bicycle lanes of Coleman Avenue. *
While painted bicycle lanes are important, paint does not protect children,
physical separation does.
Please consider this request. The Safe Routes community would be happy to
meet you any morning to demonstrate this challenge that our students face
on their daily rides to school.
Thank you for all you do,
Nell Curran
Laurel Elementary and Hillview Middle Safe Routes to School
